20-Sep-2009

The Uninvited Guest

Listening to Your Aches

Everyone has pain. It is part of being human. As long as we breathe air, we feel pain. At some point in our life, we all feel the sting of being alive. We often think of pain in terms of its physical symptoms, but that view can be limiting, since pain is actually felt on many levels.

On the physical plane pain is a biochemical reaction, taking place at the end of the axon on a dendrite of a neural receptor. But knowing that doesn’t help you feel any better. What does help is knowing that reaction fires an electric charge, which sends a signal to the brain, where the sensation is registered. Your brain then evaluates this input and decides how to respond. If it is registered as pain the body goes into a state of stress. Stress then creates more stress, resulting in physical symptoms, even if its root cause is purely emotional.

In the space between the sensation and its classification as “pain” there is an opportunity. Since pain is such a subjective experience, one approach is to treat the pain like a dinner guest who has a profound conversation to offer. Each person and every body has a story to tell. So, ask your guest what it has to say and then listen. By asking why the guest has decided to drop in, you will address the source of the pain.

Deeply listening is the most integral part of the healing process. This is why meditation is so important. By developing a neutral mind, you can listen to your body without prejudice and process the lessons your pain is trying to impart. Practicing yoga helps, too.

The important thing is to actively engage your pain in the conversation. Make a commitment to do so for 90 days. The time you give is the time your guest has to speak. By addressing your pain in this way, you provide yourself a path to its source, both physically and emotionally. You are also giving your uninvited guest permission to leave your body and leave behind a deepened appreciation of the joy and peace in your life.

Haridass Kaur / Thi Kim Hoang, PhD
Healer, Yogi, Entrepreneur
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